keeping your password secure and Related softwares.
Well there are many different things an Internet user has to follow when it comes to keeping their identity on the net safe from the identity theives etc:- There are some tips I had mentioned earlier in my article about how to protect yourself against phishing attacks. If you feel like reading that go here and look at the part where it says "Tips to protect yourself from phishing attacks". It covers almost every aspect about protecting yourself on the net from Identity thieves. However in this article I am going to focus only on the password aspect. Here are some tips that almost everyone knows (if not, everyone should know it) that are only related to getting a secure password and keeping it safe at your end. And also below you will see a list of related softwares.
1.Passwords should be atleast six character long.
2.Use a mix of alpabets, numbers and symbols (Aplhanumeric).
3.Don't use words that are contained in the dictionary. (since it will be easy for people to get it through a
dictionary attack)
4.Don't email or IM your password.
5.Don't store it on your computer.
6.Change it often. At least every 3 months.
7.Have different passwords for each site or mail address.
Ok, now almost everyone of you might know these things. But the problem is how would one ensure that these steps are adhered to. I mean like having different passwords for each site and that too complex passwords and yet not to store it somewhere? I mean that is quite challenging right? But here are some tools that will help you on that part. Not only will these tools help you generate complex passwords but it even fills out forms on the net for you in a secure way and you can store the passwords on your PC. Interested? Then read on.
1. Quicky Password Generator 1.2 (Free)
This one has got a 4.5 out of 5 from the users at download.com. Now when the users speak you know that it is not a gimmick. This prog can generate up to 5000 passwords of 4 to 20 characters in length at a time. There are options for alphanumeric, uppercase only, variable length, and special characters. It generates all unique passwords and will warn you if the character length is not long enough to give you unique passwords. It is very small in size (338.08K) too.
2.Infinite Password Generator 2.2 (Free)
The download.com(Cnet) editors have given this a 4 out of 5 rating. YOu can generate different passwords for each site and you can access this utility by keying in your master password. So that means only you or someone else who knows the master password can acess this prog. Using only a master password which you need to remember and a keyword of your choice, you can use different passwords for every Web sites without remembering them all.
1.RoboForm 6.7.9 ( Free to try)
This earned the coveted 5 out of 5 rating from the Cnet Editors. And also the users have given this a 4.5 rating out of 5. RoboForm memorizes each user name and password the first time you log into a site, then automatically supplies them when you return. This excellent prog. comes with a military level encryption. And all have to remember is your master password. All other passwords you generated using a password generator can be stored in this. It also fills out online forms.This prog. is a free to try software. Hence after 30 days some of the features will be disabled. If you have to buy it this costs $29.95
2. Free Password Manager Plus 1.6.3(Free)
This is a very handy tool. Among the well rated free versions in the password storer category this is the one that stores passwords and also fills out forms. Roboform which I mentioned earlier is the other utility that offers this combination but it is just a free to try software..not free. So if you would like to have a free software that offers that sort of a combo then go for this one. The users have given this a 3.5/5 rating. This software protects your data by using 128-bit AES encryption and storing it on your own PC.
Between Roboform and Free password manager it is better to go for Roboform even if it is free to try because you can still use Roboform after 30 days but with limited features. Like you can store a list of only 30 passwords. But for an average home user that would be more than necessary and enjoy the military level encryption it offers. Well, on the other hand you can try both and keep both if you like to.
Related reading:-
Everything you wanna know about phishing attacks(Identity theft).
